Pac-12 Basketball Fantasy League Voting: Championship
Posted by Connor Pelton on August 10th, 2012Our championship game pits fourth seeded Connor Pelton up against the fifth seeded, two-headed monster in Mark Sandritter and Jeff Nusser (CougCenter). Below are the rosters, followed by commentary from the respective owner:
Connor Pelton
- Head Coach – Slats Gill, Oregon State
- Guard – Reggie Miller, UCLA
- Guard – Isaiah Thomas, Washington
- Guard – Chauncey Billups, Colorado
- Guard – Baron Davis, UCLA
- Forward – Kiki Vandeweghe, UCLA
- Forward – Klay Thompson, Washington State
- Forward – Richard Jefferson, Arizona
- Forward – Jon Brockman, Washington
- Center – Steve Johnson, Oregon State
- Center – Robin Lopez, Stanford
Connor’s Take:
Obviously, CougCenter’s team is loaded with talent. Behind my own, of course, it’s my favorite in the field. But you can’t tell me that Darren Collison and Eddie House would even compete with Reggie Miller or Chauncey Billups in a game of two-on-two, or that David Greenwood is better than fellow Bruin Kiki Vandeweghe. Let’s take a look at the stats, shall we: My group of guards (Miller, Billups, Isaiah Thomas, and Baron Davis) averaged a total of 16.4 PPG throughout their college careers. Team CougCenter’s? A cute average of 13.2. At the forward position, the numbers are a bit closer, but my 15.0 PPG still prevails.
My side boasts a Basketball Hall of Famer, a five-time NBA All-Star, and three, two-time All-Pac-10 First Teamers. Miller and Billups are some of the clutchest players of all time, meaning they’ll pull out a Championship for me in this tight battle.
Team CougCenter
- Head Coach – Mike Montgomery, Stanford/California
- Guard – Jason Kidd, California
- Guard – Andre Iguodala, Arizona
- Guard – Eddie House, Arizona State
- Guard – Darren Collison, UCLA
- Forward – Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Forward – Ryan Anderson, California
- Forward – David Greenwood, UCLA
- Forward – Josh Childress, Stanford
- Center – Andrew Bogut, Utah
- Center – Mel Counts, Oregon State
CougCenter’s Take:
If you are looking for a team with depth across the board, too many accolades to count and eye-popping statistics, this is the team for you. Here is a quick rundown of what the 10 players accomplished during their careers:
- Two National Player of the Year Awards
- Six Pac-10/12 Player of the Year awards
- Seven consensus All-Americans
- Nine NBA first round picks, including seven top 10 and four top three picks
- 16 NBA All-Star appearances
- Six NBA first-team appearances
- Five NBA championships
- 14 Pac-10/12 first-team appearances
- Three gold medals
To direct the attack, we have possibly the best point guard in Pac-12 history in Jason Kidd. Kidd owns the Pac-12 record for assist average at 8.4 per game. He could do it all on the floor, evidenced by the fact he is the conference leader in career triple-doubles with four (Side note: He did that all in one season – three of them were in a span of three weeks!). Andre Iguodala joins Kidd as the only other player to have at least three career triple-doubles in conference history. He also is a lock-down defender, an area where Kidd was no slouch, either. Kidd, not someone like Gary Payton, holds both the Pac-10 single-season and career records for steals per game. Eddie House brings the scoring in the backcourt, averaging 23 PPG his final season. He is the author of a 61-point game, the highest in Pac-12 history. He also holds the conference record for most 40+ point games. Few guards in Pac-12 history could light it up the way House could. Darren Collison rounds out the backcourt as another complete point guard. A four-year starter at UCLA and one of the quickest guards in recent history.
The forwards are led by national player of the year Marques Johnson and two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year David Greenwood. Both players averaged a double-double their final college season. Johnson parlayed his skills into a third overall draft pick and five NBA all-star appearances. Better known now for his TV work, he is widely regarded as one of the best forwards in conference history. Ryan Anderson is one of the better scoring power forwards in the last 20 years, averaging 21.1 and 9.9 his final season. Josh Childress won Pac-10 Player of the Year honors for his all around play. Childress might be the best defensive small forward on any team.
The duo at center is unmatched. Andrew Bogut was a dominant college player, averaging 20.4 and 12.2 his final season en route to National Player of the Year honors and selection as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. You might never have heard of Mel Counts, but he is quite frankly one of the best players in conference history – the seven-footer’s name is littered all over the Pac-12 record book. His career averages of 22.2 PPG and 15.4 RPG are both third in Pac-12 history. In his final season, Counts averaged 26.7 PPG and 16.9 RPG, both of which are the second-highest single season totals in conference history. Behind Abdul-Jabbar, Counts is the second most dominant center in Pac-12 history.
They are coached by one of the best in Pac-12 history. Mike Montgomery is a four-time Pac-12 coach of the year and two-time National Coach of the Year. His .654 winning percentage in conference is the fourth highest of any coach with 10 or more years.
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Voting begins now and will close at 5:00 PM PT on Sunday. The winner forever holds internet bragging rights.
Good luck to all, and happy voting.
I'm from Portland. College basketball and football is life.
